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Coffee Talk 05.06.18

Well, good morning! What a week it’s been.

Since I wrote my Coffee Talk post last Sunday morning, I’ve negotiated an agreement and signed a contract on a new house, prepared this house to sell while my husband was in the hospital for three days, put our house on the market, shown it three times, and received two offers. Whew!

We decided to accept one of the offers late last night, so the Open House that was scheduled for this afternoon has been canceled. It’s been quite a stressful week, so I’m really happy to get back to regular life for a while before we have to start packing.

From here on out, I’m doing my best to keep the end of my son’s senior year as normal as possible. It’s bad enough that we’re selling his childhood home out from under him, I don’t want it to be in total upheaval during the last few weeks of his high school career.

Meanwhile, I’m sick. I’ve been fighting some throat thing for a few days. At first I thought it was allergies, but now I think it’s a cold. It’s weird, though, it’s just my throat that feels thick and scratchy; I don’t have any other major symptoms. I’m sure my immune system is challenged from the stress and lack of sleep, so I’m hoping now that things are settling down, I’ll get better quickly.

Tomorrow we have the inspections on our new house, and I can’t wait to get in there and take measurements and start making plans for how I want to decorate it. Suddenly everything seems very real!!!

The girls are pretty excited. Only my youngest has seen the house, so tomorrow I’m taking my older daughter over during the inspection to see it and pick out her room and all that.

My son declined the opportunity. “I’ll see it when I see it,” he says, and I get it. I think he just wants things to stay normal for as long as possible.

He’d really prefer we don’t move at all, but I’m hoping he has enough going on this summer to keep him distracted, and once we’re moved in, he’ll see that home is more about where his family is than the house where he grew up.

I was afraid to get too emotionally invested in the new house before everything got squared away, but now that it seems like it’s going to work out, I’ve started combing home and lifestyle blogs as well as my favorite retailers for decorating ideas.

I’m not even sure what’s trending right now because that’s not something I normally pay a lot of attention to, but I know I want things to be light and airy and soothing and fairly neutral.

Home decor is to me what I imagine fashion is to some of you — kind of overwhelming and befuddling. I know what I like, but I can’t always achieve it on my own.

I learned a long time ago that I actually save money if I hire someone to help, because otherwise I end up wasting money buying things that don’t work together or painting a room three times to get the color I want. I’ve already reached out to a decorator I’ve used before to see if she can help me come up with a plan, and then I’ll implement it over time as our budget allows.

If you have any home or lifestyle blogs you enjoy, let me know about them. I’m saving all the ideas I like to a Pinterest board so I can share them with the decorator when we meet.

So yeah, this house situation is pretty much all consuming at the moment. Fortunately I shot a few looks with Alison before things got really crazy, and I still have a few from Martina in Florida, so I’ve got some content for the blog this week.

I also want to share my May Favorites, and my denim shorts review is almost ready to go live. As always, I’m open to other ideas!

I guess it’s time to get ready for church. I hope you all have a lovely Sunday and a great week ahead!

Join The Conversation

85 Responses

  1. What a week you’ve had! When it rains it pours, right?! So glad to hear an offer came so quickly and you guys can relax a little on that end. You have an exciting few months ahead, can’t wait to follow along! Hope you can get some much needed rest and feel better soon!

  2. Hey!!!!! Congratulations! It’s amazing when it all works out timewise😁 Glad to hear it! 

  3. I am so excited for your family! Wow, bought and sold a home in 1 week!!! Amazing🎉
    I hope you and your husband feel better. Sounds like you need rest!!!
    I look forward to following the home journey🏡

    1. I do! I was going to bed at my normal time every night, but I wasn’t sleeping well. I haven’t had a full night of sleep in two weeks. Last night was better, but I think my body has conditioned itself to wake up a couple of times. I guess it will take some time to get back on track.

      1. I had the same throat thing last night and just felt tired with it and still not feeling that great this AM.  Crazy and my only symptoms too.  

  4. We sold our home in Dayton OH – the home where we raised our daughter – just after her wedding in 2014. She graduated from the University of Kentucky, got a job and decided to stay in Lexington. Since we had no family in Ohio (I’m from Kentucky), my husband & I decided to move to Lexington to be closer to future grands. Here we are four years later – so nice to be just minutes away from our granddaughter. I know our daughter loves having us nearby, but I know it’s bittersweet for her. She goes back to Dayton fairly often to visit some of her childhood friends. Sorry for rambling – just wanted you to know I understand the changes you all are experiencing. 😘

  5. Hi! What a week you have had! You might take a peek at Our Fifth House.  Carmel lives in the Charleston area and has a good eye for decorating.  As you might assume by her blog name, she has decorated several houses, and is now getting ready to build a new home. Enjoy!

  6. Congratulations on your new home! Will your daughter have to change schools or will she go to the same one? We moved 2 years ago to STAY at the same schools, due to rezoning in our district. Buying, selling, packing and moving was stressful, be we love our new home and neighborhood and it was close enough that nothing in our daily lives changed but our address! Good luck with packing! We packed ourself but had a moving company move everything. Was worth every penny!

  7. Congratulations on the house offer! That was quick. I am glad you will have a chance to relax a bit before the moving process begins. I hope your son is able to adjust to things changing, I hate change so I imagine I would feel how he does right now. It’s a lot to take in with high school ending, college beginning and now a move. 

    I hope the inspection goes well and that you feel better soon!

  8. I’m sooo excited for you & can’t wait to get a glimpse of the new home!  Exciting & overwhelming for sure, especially with all the other things you have going on. Interesting that your son seems to be more emotional about the move.  I can see the girls being excited.  Great idea to call in a decorator.   Today’s homes are so much larger than when I got married back in 1974.  And the choices were so limited.  I got overwhelmed on decorating our sunroom addition years ago!  I’m still drooling over that ruana you styled!  The color is so vibrant.  BUT I just happened to find a similar colored one in the store I shop in.  I keep saying I don’t need a single thing, then you style something that REALLY catches me eye, and I’m on the Internet looking for something in my size!  My other favorite is the navy jacket, white jeans & red shoes. I even stopped in our local WHBM yesterday to look for it.  They only had a small……  #helpmestopshopping #myclosetisfull. Have a wonderful day & glad to hear Paul is on the mend!  

  9. Please share your favorite home decor blogs and finds. Excited to see you lfashion up” your new home!

  10. Jo Lynne,  Congratulations! So glad for you especially with such a quick sale! Homes are moving super fast here in Atlanta area too. I love decorating. We built a home 3 years ago and here are some sites I follow both their blogs and/ or IG and Pinterest. StoneGable blog; Phoebe Howard; The Enchanted Home ( mainly for her shop of porcelains), Traditional Home,  Olive.Hill. Interiors; BlueandWhiteHome; TheRelishedRoost.com. You are so smart to hire a designer it is so helpful. Have fun and blessings for your new home! Julie L 

  11. CONGRATULATIONS! 🍾 
    Good luck with the inspection of your new home.  One of our best friends is a home inspector down here.  I so wish you could have used him.  Our former realtor is also sort of related to us, via our DIL.  She tells all of her clients that the current neutral color for walls, is something in the grey family.  When we had our house painted recently, I selected Silver Bullet by Behr.  I could not have chosen a better color.  Larry, our male neighbors, and even our contractor commented on what a beautiful color it is and how nice it looks in every room.  The contractor was very doubtful at first.  I highly recommend it!  It is not a dark color, at all, and I’m finding that it blends with every color I am using to decorate.  I hope your throat feels better real soon, and that Paul is feeling much better.  God bless!

      1. FYI  Grey as a trending color is finished. It started in 2009 and is over. Whites and off whites are more current for wall colors. It would be a shame to start the decorating of your new home outdated colors. 

        1. Funny, I spent an hour last night pouring over Maria Killam’s blog – and I saw her article on that. The color in my current foyer is a cross between white/grey/beige – I love it. I am wondering if I just want to paint that throughout my entire new house and call it a day. I don’t think it’s trendy at all, very much a timeless neutral.

      2. I painted my new house in a light Greige throughout in 2007. From reading decorating blogs, I was afraid it was out. I’m seeing white rooms everywhere these days but find it too harsh for my furnishings. 

  12. Whew is right!! Glad the house sold so you have one thing out of the way. Hope your hubby is doing good. Take one day at a time. Sometimes one hour. Ha. Hope you get over your cold soon. . Prayers for your family. You’ll get through this. It’s just life.

  13. Congratulations! Excited for you! Your son will come around-it’s not like you’re moving across the country! Hope you feel better soon!

  14. Pinterest & Houzz are the places I go to for ideas. You can then show your board to the decorator and she will pull together the constants you keep going back to again and again. Maria Killam has a great blog on color. She’s Canadian but teaches courses all over the US. 
    No wonder you haven’t been sleeping well. You’ve been juggling a lot of balls. But, it’s all coming together nicely.
    Your son has a lot happening too. He’ll come around once you’re settled and he has a room to come home to. Talk to him. You might be able to allay his fears.
    Enjoy your Sunday. 

    1. Yes, juggling a lot of balls is one way to put it. 🙂 I still woke up last night but was able to fall back asleep. Hoping for an even better night’s sleep tonight.

  15. I’m so excited for you, Jo-Lynne! I do hope you and Paul are both feeling much better soon so you can enjoy the transition…as much as possible! We’re in a transition ourselves but not nearly as exciting. I’m so glad you have been blessed this way. Enjoy!! 🌷

  16. Wow! Except for the hospital part, you got through all that remarkably smoothly.   That’s wonderful!

    I follow all kinds of bloggers who are terrific, but each has different decorating styles…classically traditional, modern farmhouse, French country, colorfully eclectic… I am inspired by each in different ways.

     I’m sure your Pinteresting will guide you to several who match your home style…but if you have a specific direction, I bet many of your readers would be happy to share.

  17. Wow!!!  What a week. I can’t believe all you did on your own.  I’m glad Wayne is home now and on the mends.  I’m sure it is really hard to leave the home your children grew up in, but like you said in time they will adjust and it will be a fun new adventure for you all this summer.  I think you are doing the right thing, trying to keep it as normal as possible the last few months of your sons Sr. year.  I’m not good at decorating or even looking at other ideas on blogs and trying to fit it together. One thing leads to another and hard to start all over on everything, but its a good time for you to get to do this with a new home.  I so need to update and hiring someone to help might be the ticket.  I live in a small town and not a lot of resources close though.  Hope all goes well for you.  Good time of year to be doing this and you will be all ready and settled before the busyness of the holidays come.  Cyndi’s Sisters blog is so great, as her and her husband are so talented and she is always posting cute ideas etc.  She is farmhouse style though, so maybe not your thing.  Speaking of Cyndi, did you read her blog this AM.  Her father-in-law is in the ICU at age 91 yrs. old.  They have plans to move into their new home Monday, so she’s trying to pack, but is staying at the hospital with family, as they don’t know how he will pull out of this.  Just such similar things going on with you 2.  Praying for you both.  

  18. Congratulations on the new house! You are a trooper with everything that’s been going on in the last week. You might be interested in the Little Black Domicile blog. The ladies are decorators who have a keen eye for neutral, relaxing designs.

  19. Congratulations and hope you are feeling better soon. A blog to check out is Life on Virginia Street. She has a great  eye for decorating and posts lots of ideas.  I think you would really like it.

  20. I can recommend Yvonne at Stone Gable Blog.  I saw another of your readers mention that one.  I, too, understand the challenges of moving and wish you well.

  21. First, congratulations on the sale!!!  Real estate must be hot in your area. Secondly, WOW you have been Wonder Woman getting everything done with a sick hubby.  Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here on out. Looking forward to hearing about the adventure. 

  22. Congrats on your offer… that was fast:) this must be Gods will as it all seems to be falling into place. You will have so much fun decorating. I love the farmhouse decor right now and I’m in the process of switching up our house as we speak. After 11 years time to freshen things up..
    Glad you’re all back home😀

    1. I love that style too, but then I wonder if I like it b/c it’s trendy. I’ve always liked light neutrals, light and airy, so I think it’s resonating for that reason too.

  23. Let the decorating begin!! ❤️❤️ So fun to start fresh!  We recently did a backyard remodel and although shopping for stone and tile and outdoor furniture at 12 different places got tiresome, it was fun to design it all ourselves. Good luck! 

  24. Home decor stresses me out too Jolynne!  I bought my first house last year and it took me forever to decide on my decor!  It definitely doesn’t come easy to me!  In the end I really love the color scheme I picked out.  Since you said you want light and airy, it might work for you too!   My walls are a very light beige (Irish cream from Sherwin Williams),  my couches are a medium taupe (not too tan or gray) and I added pops of color in a light Tiffany blue and a light sage green,  with lots of ivory and white accents.  I was in the same boat as you with not knowing what was trending but really didn’t care because I didn’t want to have to re-do in a couple years!  Hope you find a color scheme and style that you love!  Don’t blame you for hiring an interior decorator,  wish I would have thought to do that! 

  25. What great news that your house has sold so quickly! I hope that you and Paul are soon feeling better.

  26. Until your kids have their own homes, they want everything in their childhood homes to stay the same. It is okay for them to move on but they don’t want us to!

    1. Ha! That did occur to me. 🙂 In his defense, he hasn’t complained. But when his sister asked him if he wants to move, he said, “Not really.” It’s fine. I get it. It will all work out. 🙂

  27. Congratulations on everything falling into place with the new house! What an exciting time!

  28. Wow, your home sold so quickly!  That is a HUGE stressor, at least it always was for me.  I can’t wait to see and hear about the new house……….etc.  I bet your son will come around.  Hope you and Paul are both feeling better quickly.  It’s so hard to keep up with new home trends.  As with fashion, trends come and go so much more quickly these days.  I follow Maria Killam’s blog, warning, you can get lost on hers for hours.  She explains how to pick paint colors, it’s all in the undertones.  I know that, and it’s still hard to get it right sometimes!  I have the perfect light grey that I’ve used in two different homes.  My 3rd house, well, it’s a bit blue-grey in the bedroom it’s in.  I don’t like it as much as I did in the other two houses but not bad enough to repaint!  

    1. Yeah, I don’t really want to go with the trends, but it’s hard not to. I’m so easily drawn to what I see a lot of, and I do really love the light neutrals and the “farmhouse” trend but I have a couple of white chairs as I tried to lighten up the space in this home, and they all have color transfer from the blue jeans we all wear so much. I have promised myself, no white furniture in the new house — at least not in areas we use a lot. But that seems to be ALL there is on the decorating blogs. It’s kind of getting old.

      1. I agree Jo-Lynne, it is ALL white kitchens, marble look counters, wood floors and white/grey walls.  I happen to love, love love all that but who can redecorate every 5 years?  Well, not me, I just have learned to go with neutrals for my big purchases and throw in my pops of color with throws and pillows.  

      2. I agree about all the white for coaches and chairs and my husband said the same thing about getting them dirty especially in the family room… We have a tan color coach and love seat set we bought a year ago (traditional style with nail heads) and I’ve also seen brown leather as well but accent in the white washed furniture, frames and pictures / mirrors that bring in the farmhouse look. That’s what I’ve been doing keeping the big pieces neutral and focusing on the accessories and small stuff.

        1. Yeah, that is how I’m going to have to do it. That’s sort of what we did here, I mostly brought in white with rugs and accessories, but we do have 2 white chairs that now have denim transfer on them. 🙁

  29. Congratulations Jo-Lynne!  What an accomplishment to sell your home so quickly!  I had to chuckle when you admitted decor wasn’t your thing. I have always said I received my PHD in decorating from HGTV. 😂 But in the meantime, I’m consulting your blog on how to dress myself! Your decorator will listen to you and y’all will make wise decisions together!  Enjoy! Your son will be fine. We sold our last home commercially and it was torn down so a big store could be built. Our kids wanted a small part of the deconstruction debris, but I doubt either one could find their pieces today, 15 years later. 

    1. Good point. It may seem traumatic now, but it won’t scar him for life or anything. He isn’t emotional about it, he just isn’t at all interested in the new house. It will all be fine. 🙂

  30. Wow! That’s a lot going on with a graduating senior! Hang in there, be kind to yourself and enjoy all the things that come with having a senior!

  31. Oh my goodness! Girl, you are going through one of those crazy times! I’m so glad your husband is recovering well. Hang in there. I’m keeping y’all in my prayers!

  32. WOW! Congratulations!  Best wishes on this transition, and I hope your husband is OK (hospital stay) and can enjoy this crazy, stressful, exciting and wonderful time with you and your family. 🙂 

  33. Love the idea of you adding to your blog a decorating link as you start personalizing your new home and begin to make it look amazing. # paint colors # furnishings # wall art#tons of work # expensive exhaustion 

  34. Hi Jo-Lynne!  So excited about your new house! Follow http://www.curiousdetails.com blog and follow her Instagram and Pinterest.  Her home styling is fabulous and light and airy. I think it fits what you’re looking for. Becki is a game changer in the home decor world. Thank you for being a game-changer for me in the fashion game!  Love love your style!  Looking forward to following along on your move!!  

  35. Oh my goodness. I totally get it! We were relocating at the end of our sons Sr. year. My husband actually commuted from MN to CA for 6 months so Benny could finish his Sr. year. He graduated on Friday and Monday morning the movers were at the house to pack us up. The kids and I then spent 6 weeks living out of suitcases shuffling back and forth between VA, KY & TN staying with friends and family while our home in CA was being finished being built. WHEW! It was CRA-ZY!!! Our son only lived in this house for 3 weeks before leaving for college. So excited for you! Hope Paul is much better and your throat leaves you alone! XO

  36. Hey Jo-Lynne – we moved three years ago now as my oldest son was entering Grade 10 and the youngest son Grade 7 – That is high school and Jr high here in Canada. We moved to the other end of the city, so it was new house, new friends, new school all at once. I was nervous too, as both boys hadn’t known any other home but the one we had been in. There were a few bumps along the way, but three years later and we are all really enjoying the house, neighborhood and all the new experiences. Trust me, no matter what happens your kids know that home is where the family is! Congrats on the new house.

  37. Sometimes it feels like we’re living parallel lives! We moved a year ago and it is such an exhausting ordeal but definitely worth it! Our kids are nearly the same age as yours and were SUCH a huge help in packing and on the actual moving day. While you’re busy working, it’s easy to wear headphones and listen to podcasts. I would highly recommend a podcast called “Decorating Tips and Tricks.” It features a blogger who was previously mentioned, Yvvonne from Stone Gable Blog as well as Anita from Cedar Hill Farmhouse and Kelly from My Soulful Home. They have 3 different styles, but they are fun Christian women who will entertain and educate along the way. I’ve learned a lot from them and gotten the confidence to make this new house my own (including numerous renovations.) I’m so happy your husband is on the mend (that had to be some serious stress all at once). Blessings on your fun new venture.

    1. Thanks, Jenny! I already subscribed to Stone Gable Blog – I love her posts and how she explains how to make things work. I did notice she had those podcast links, but I’ve never gotten into podcasts. I should try to figure out how to get them on my phone so I can listen in the car and when I’m running.

      1. I love to listen to podcasts when I’m walking, cooking, painting, or doing laundry. I hate reading non-fiction but for some reason I don’t mind hearing it. 🙂 If you have an iPhone you should have a podcast app and it’s just a matter of searching for the title or genre that you like. There are funny, educational, political and religious podcasts and the lists goes on. Once you start, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

  38. Hi jolynne, my daughter is a faithful reader of your blog and she was telling me today about your move. I had a blog for 9 years and while I see some comments have mentioned some blogs to look at, I have found some wonderful homes on Instagram. I’ll compile a list of them and leave another comment so you can take a quick peek at them if you’d like.

  39. I went ahead and compiled a few of my favorite IG accounts, you can get a quick look at their homes and maybe get a few ideas. These are by no means all the accounts I follow but a few of my favorites: @blessedmommatobaby girls – Patsy has a gorgeous home in Tennesse, I think you will love her style of decorating. @jamestfarmer – James is a good ol southern boy who has written several books. His account does feature some of the homes he’s decorated as well as his own home in Georgia. @elizabethwwood – I love this lady’s heart. She recently lost her husband and is moving to a new house but you can see the home she’s moving out of. @stonewallfarm; @kellirbaker – I love this account, she is soooo talented and does a lot of homes for friends; @stonecottage2250; and last but not least @sweetcarolinabelles – I love Christies account. I hope you don’t mind that I sent IG accounts vs. blogs but they are easier to view at one time rather than having to scroll thru blogs as I know your time is limited right now.

  40. I am late to the commenting party but the story of your move is reminiscent of my freshmen year of college. I had lived in the same house in Salem since 1st grade. I leave for 1st year of college; my family home was NOT on  the market. November, my parents show up at my dorm and tell me they bought new house. Of course I was upset (understatement) but once all of our belongings were in the new home, it became the perfect home for all of us. Turn the page to when I’m an adult pregnant with my 3rd child; ironically, I had first refusal on my childhood home 10 years ago the day before it went on the market (that’s a small town for you). . We went to look and although I was initially excited, we turned it down because it didn’t feel right and I didn’t want to mess with my perfect memories of it! Although, the owner had maintained our “wall” in the basement with the pencil sharpener – we would write all over it after sharpening our pencils; this was the absolute best part of that home tour and I cried! All of this to say, I have complete faith that your son can adjust. It might even make it easier for him to go away to college. Thinking of all of you, especially as I send my oldest to college in the fall too. 

    1. That is so interesting. I didn’t know all that.

      As an aside, CAN YOU BELIEVE we are both sending our kids to college? WHAT THE HECK? Weren’t we just in middle school making fun of our science teacher… what was her name??? Crazy.

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